STUDENT BOOK. 5th Grade Unit 6

BIBLE STUDENT BOOK 5th Grade Unit 6

Unit 6 PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE BIBLE 506 PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Introduction 3 1. The Bible is God s Word...5 The Bible 7 History 20 Human Experience 23 Self Test 1 30 2. God Created the World... 33 Physical Science 35 Life Science 42 Self Test 2 49 3. Christ Arose from the Dead... 52 Fulfilled Prophecy 53 Eyewitnesses 61 Christian Experience 68 Self Test 3 78 LIFEPAC Test Pull-out 1

PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Unit 6 Author: Barry G. Burrus, M.Div., M.A. Editor: Steven Henderson, B.A. Illustrators: Kyle Bennett, A.S. Mark Nuñes Media Credits: Page 3: CarlosAndreSantos, istock, Thinkstock; 6: Margot Kessler, istock, Thinkstock; 7: HalfPoint, istock, Thinkstock; 23: AndrewSoundarajan, istock, Thinkstock; Mike G, Hemera, Thinkstock; 24: Gerardo Borbolla, istock,thinkstock; 25: Peter Spiro, istock, Thinkstock; 29: James Steidl, istock, Thinkstock; 33: Ig0rZh, istock, Thinkstock; 35: Yuriy Kulik, istock, Thinkstock; 36: Alexandrum79, istock, Thinkstock; 40: kiwisoul, istock, Thinkstock; 44: Ryan McVay, Photodisc, Thinkstock; 52: Samdebby, istock, Thinkstock; 54: Peter Dennis, Dorling Kindersley, Thinkstock; 62: Paulo Veronese, Louvre Museum; 66: Dorling Kindersley, Thinkstock. 804 N. 2nd Ave. E. Rock Rapids, IA 51246-1759 MMII by Alpha Omega Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. LIFEPAC is a registered trademark of Alpha Omega Publications, Inc. All trademarks and/or service marks referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners. Alpha Omega Publications, Inc. makes no claim of ownership to any trademarks and/or service marks other than their own and their affiliates, and makes no claim of affiliation to any companies whose trademarks may be listed in this material, other than their own. 2

Unit 6 PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE As Christians, we are sometimes asked what we believe. Some people are curious and want to know more. For such people, our ability to explain our beliefs may help them to become committed to Christ or more committed as Christians. Unfortunately, others are sometimes hostile. When these people ask what we believe, they are trying to show that our beliefs are outdated or foolish. In these cases, we may have to defend our faith. For either of these groups of people, it is important that we know what we believe and are able to prove what we believe. At times, we may have to prove that what we believe is true and reasonable. The Apostle Peter encouraged Christians to always be ready to explain our faith to others. He also told us how to do this. He wrote, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15). For Christians, our hope is in Jesus Christ. God, speaking through Peter, tells us that we always need to be prepared to make a defense of our faith in the Lord and in what we believe about Him. We believe that God has revealed Himself and His plan for our lives through Jesus Christ. God wants us to always be ready to share and prove our beliefs with others. 3

PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Unit 6 God also tells us that we share our faith with others in a spirit of gentleness and reverence. God does not want us to witness to others about our faith in anger or in a pushy manner. We are to respect others as people made in the image of God and having human dignity. We can, of course, be bold and zealous in our sharing of the Gospel, but we should always defend our beliefs confidently and politely. In this LIFEPAC, you will examine three beliefs of our Christian faith that are being particularly challenged today: (1) the Bible as God s Word; (2) God s Creation of the world; and (3) the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. These doctrines have been challenged in ages past, and they still are under attack today. You will learn a great deal about the evidence we have for our Christian beliefs in these three doctrines. By knowing the doctrines well and the evidence for our beliefs in them, you will be able to prove what you believe to others. Objectives Read these objectives. The objectives tell you what you will be able to do when you have successfully completed this LIFEPAC. Each section will list according to the numbers below what objectives will be met in that section. When you have finished this LIFEPAC, you should be able to: 1. Know three doctrines of the Christian faith that are being particularly challenged today. 2. Name at least three passages from the Bible that show that the Bible is God s Word. 3. Give three examples from history that show that the Bible is God s Word. 4. Explain how Christian experience shows that the Bible is God s Word. 5. Name at least three statements about the natural universe in the Bible that have been proven by science. 6. Identify four false assumptions in the theory of evolution. 7. Explain how the Bible promotes healthy living. 8. Identify passages in the Old Testament that predict the Resurrection of Jesus. 9. Locate passages in the Bible in which Jesus predicts His Resurrection. 10. Name five eyewitnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus. 11. Describe the effect of Jesus Resurrection on His disciples. 12. Explain how Christian experience is important evidence of the Resurrection of Christ. 4

Unit 6 PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE 1. THE BIBLE IS GOD S WORD Christians believe that the Bible is God s Word. We believe that the books of the Old and New Testaments contain the Word of God. This is one of our most important beliefs. It is important because the Bible is the basis for many of our other beliefs about God and Jesus Christ. Throughout history, there have been many attacks against the authority of the Bible as God s Word. The same is true today. Many people today believe that the Bible is merely an ancient book that was written only by men. Christians believe that God is the author of the Bible. If we are to share and defend our Christian faith, it is important we know and believe that the Bible is God s Word. We have to be able to show evidence to others that the Bible is God s Word. This evidence will help us to prove to others that the Bible is the Word of God. In this section of the LIFEPAC, you will learn about three sources of evidence that the Bible is God s Word. First, you will examine the evidence from the Bible itself. Second, you will consider evidence from history. Third, you will examine evidence from Christian experience. By considering the evidence from these three sources, you should be able to show others that the Bible is true. Objectives Review these objectives. When you have completed this section, you should be able to: 1. Know three doctrines of the Christian faith that are being particularly challenged today. 2. Name at least three passages from the Bible that show that the Bible is God s Word. 3. Give three examples from history that show that the Bible is God s Word. 4. Explain how Christian experience shows that the Bible is God s Word. Section 1 5

PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Unit 6 Vocabulary Study these new words. Learning the meanings of these words is a good study habit and will improve your understanding of this LIFEPAC. ample (am pul). Generously sufficient to satisfy a requirement or need. characteristics (kā ik tu ris tiks). Distinguishing traits, qualities, or properties. circulate (sėr kyü lāt). To go around; to pass from place to place. continuity (kon tun nu u tē). A continuous or connected whole. doctrine (doc trin). A belief or set of beliefs taught by a religion or group of people. fulfill (ful fil). To bring to completion; to happen as predicted. harmony (har mu nē). Working well together. hostile (hos tul). Unfriendly or overly opposing; of or relating to an enemy. inerrant (in ãr unt). Free from error. influence (in flü uns). The effect a person or object has on others. inspiration (in spu rā shun). The direct influence of God on the writers of the Bible. outdated (out dē t ud). Not being in style; no longer acceptable or usable. popularity (pop yü lãr u tē). Fact or condition of being popular or well-liked by many people. prediction (pri dik shun). A statement telling about an event to happen in the future. prophecy (prof i sē). A prediction; a statement telling about an event to happen in the future. reservoir (rez ėr vwär). A place where something is stored or from which you can draw something. skeptic (skep tik). Someone who doubts whether or not something is really true. structure (struk chėr). The way parts of a body or an object like a building are put together. superiority (su pir ē ôr u tē). The quality or condition of being better or superior. translate (trans lāt). To change from one language to another. unique (yü nēk). Singularly different; one of a kind. zealous (zel us). Filled with eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something. Note: All vocabulary words in this LIFEPAC appear in boldface print the first time they are used. If you are unsure of the meaning when you are reading, study the definitions given. Pronunciation Key: hat, āge, cãre, fär; let, ēqual, tėrm; it, īce; hot, ōpen, ôrder; oil; out; cup, pu t, rüle; child; long; thin; /ŦH/ for then; /zh/ for measure; /u/ or / / represents /a/ in about, /e/ in taken, /i/ in pencil, /o/ in lemon, and /u/ in circus. e 6 Section 1

Unit 6 PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE The Bible Read Psalm 119:1 18 The Bible itself is the first place to look for evidence that it is God s Word. It is important to see what the Bible says about itself. It is also important to notice how the Bible expresses itself. Let s look at some passages of Scripture that tell us more about how the Bible sees itself. God s inspiration and voice. One of the most important passages in Scripture that concerns the Bible as God s Word is found in the New Testament. Timothy wrote, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16 17). In this passage, the Bible says that it ( all scripture ) is inspired by God. As Christians, we believe the Bible was written by men under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. This means that God was and is the true and real author of the Bible. Therefore, since God is the author of Scripture, it is His Word. Saying that all scripture is inspired by God means that it is God s Word. Section 1 7

PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Unit 6 Another way that we can find evidence in the Bible that it is God s Word is by noting the number of times it records the actual words of God being spoken. For example, the Bible often says, The Lord spoke or God said. The Bible records the actual words that God spoke to a person or to a group of people. In fact, these and similar expressions are found over four hundred times in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. Let s examine evidence from just a few of these passages. The following chart gives examples of these and similar expressions from the Old Testament. FROM THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS (THE LAW OF MOSES) Genesis 1:3 Genesis 3:9 Exodus 3:14 Exodus 24:3 Deuteronomy 5:4 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire. Joshua 8:1 1 Samuel 3:11 1 Kings 19:5 FROM THE HISTORICAL BOOKS And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land. And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 8 Section 1

Unit 6 PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Job 38:1-2 Psalm 33:6 Psalm 68:22 FROM THE POETICAL BOOKS Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea Isaiah 45:1 Jeremiah 1:4-5 Ezekiel 1:3 Hosea 4:1 Amos 7:15 FROM THE PROPHETICAL BOOKS Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Section 1 9

PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Unit 6 History Read Psalm 119:89 112 Evidence to prove that the Bible is God s Word can also be found outside the Bible itself. The first place that we will look for such evidence outside the Bible is history. We will examine what has happened to the Bible since it was first written. Superiority. The superiority of the Bible s contents when compared to other books, even books of other world religions, has been demonstrated over time. The Bible has been shown to be superior in its ability to give and predict the truth over other books. Other books have some truth mixed with error. Other books have some of the truth necessary for living a God-pleasing life. The Bible has truth without error. We say that it is inerrant. The Bible also has all truth necessary for knowing God and pleasing God. No other book has this. The only way to explain these qualities of the Bible is that the Bible is God s book containing His Words. The Bible is the Word of God, which cannot lie or be in error. This superiority of the Bible is evidence that it is God s Word. Popularity. The Bible was the first book to be printed on the printing press. Since then, it has been circulated, reprinted, and translated more than any other book in the world. Parts or all of the Bible have been translated into more than1,200 languages. This number of translations is a greater number than has been made of any other book in history. No other book has had such popularity. More people have read the Bible than any other book. These readers have been young and old, educated and uneducated. They have been from every trade and profession. All of these Rome s destruction of Bibles did not stop them from being created. 20 Section 1

Unit 6 PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE people have found the Bible to meet their personal needs. By the year 1800, there had been more than 400,000 Bibles printed. By 1930, nearly 1.5 billion copies of the Bible had been published. The printing and circulation of the Bible has increased almost every year since then. A book that has been so popular for such a long time is certainly a unique book. What could explain the popularity and uniqueness of the Bible? The answer is that the Bible is a book written by God that meets the needs of human beings in a way that no other book does. The popularity of the Bible through the ages is good evidence that the Bible is God s Word. Stability. The popularity of the Bible does not mean that there have never been struggles to preserve it from being destroyed. In 303 A.D., the Roman Emperor Diocletian gave an order to kill the Christians and destroy their Scriptures. Many Christians were brutally executed, and many manuscripts of the Bible were burned. However, just 25 years later, a new emperor named Constantine made Christianity acceptable in the Roman Empire and ordered that many copies of the Bible be printed at public expense! Therefore, the stability of the Bible was demonstrated. The Apostle Peter wrote about the stability of the Word of God, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you (1 Peter 1:23 25). In the eighteenth century, Voltaire, a French philosopher and unbeliever, predicted that Christianity with its sacred Scriptures would die out within one hundred years. Voltaire had much influence among skeptics. But, he had little influence on people compared to the Bible. Voltaire died in 1778, but the Bible did not pass away as he predicted. Instead, the Bible continued to grow in its influence and popularity. Again, the Bible demonstrated its stability and endurance. The Bible has suffered more attacks, more criticism, and more opposition than any other book in history, yet it has survived all attempts to destroy it. The best way to explain this kind of power and stability is that the Bible is the Word of God. This stability of the Bible gives evidence to prove that the Bible is God s Word. Voltaire predicted that Christianity would pass away within one hundred years. Section 1 21

PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Unit 6 Write true or false. 1.22 The Bible is a mixture of truth and error. 1.23 The Bible has all truth necessary for knowing God. 1.24 The Bible was the first book to be printed on the printing press. 1.25 Many other books have been printed in greater numbers than the Bible. 1.26 More people have read the Bible than any other book in history. 1.27 Printing of the Bible began to decrease in 1930. Answer these questions. 1.28 What are three pieces of evidence from history that the Bible is the Word of God? Explain what is meant by each of these three pieces of evidence. a. Evidence: Explanation: b. Evidence: Explanation: c. Evidence: Explanation: 1.29 Why do you think the Bible has so many enemies? 22 Section 1

PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Unit 6 SELF TEST 1 Match these items (each item, 3 points). 1.01 the Bible s oneness 1.02 different parts agree 1.03 the Bible s author 1.04 greater than other books 1.05 many people read it 1.06 the Bible can stand attacks 1.07 an enemy of the Bible 1.08 the source of Christian faith 1.09 predictions of the future 1.010 original languages of the Bible a. prophecy b. superiority c. Diocletian d. Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek e. God s Word f. God g. unity h. stability i. harmony j. history k. Paul l. popularity Answer true or false (each answer, 2 points). 1.011 The Bible itself contains evidence that it is the Word of God. 1.012 Jesus believed that the Old Testament was God s Word. 1.013 The Bible was written by about twenty human writers. 1.014 The Bible tells one continuous story. 1.015 The Bible was written in about 300 years. 1.016 Some parts of the Bible do not agree with other parts. 1.017 The Bible accurately predicted many things about the future. 1.018 Very little was predicted in the Old Testament about the coming of Christ. 30 Section 1

Unit 6 PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE 1.019 God s Word will endure forever. 1.020 God inspired the human writers of the Bible to write what he wanted them to write. Answer these questions (each answer, 3 points). 1.021 What is the meaning of the word inspiration? 1.022 What do phrases like The Lord said and God spoke tell you about the Bible? 1.023 What does Bible prophecy do that only God can fulfill? 1.024 Who was the most important person that was predicted in the Old Testament? 1.025 What happened to the Bible as a result of many attacks on it throughout history? Complete these sentences (each numbered answer, 3 points). 1.026 The Bible is like that is sown in the ground. 1.027 The Bible is like a to guide the Christian. 1.028 The Bible has been translated into about languages. 1.029 The Bible predicted many things about coming. 1.030 Three main sources of evidence that the Bible is God s Word are a., b., and c.. Section 1 31

PROVING WHAT WE BELIEVE Unit 6 Complete this list (each listed item, 3 points). 1.031 List five things that the Old Testament predicted about Christ. a. b. c. d. e Write this Bible verse from memory (this answer, 5 points). 1.032 2 Timothy 3:16 17 Teacher check: Initials Score Date 80 100 32 Section 1

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